1986 - 1996

November 3, 1986: The Iran-Contra Affair.August 10, 1988: The Civil Liberties Act, compensating Japanses Americans who "lost liberty or property because of discriminatory action by the Federal government during World War II", was signed into law.March 15, 1989: The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs was established.November 9, 1989: Built in 1961, The Berlin Wall is opened. Actual demolition did not begin until the summer of 1990 and was not completed until 1992.January 17, 1991: Operation Desert Storm.December 26, 1991: The dissolution of the Soviet Union, recognizing the independence of twelve Soviet states after the resignation of Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who declared his office extinct, formally ended the Cold War.